OMAHA, Neb. — There's a new Omaha resident who lives under the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian bridge. His name is Omar and he's not your typical neighbor.
"We are always looking for new ways to keep visitors coming back to this area, to Bob. And so what does a bridge need, a troll," Director of Communications for Visit Omaha Tracie McPherson said.
Omar the troll is a bronze statue that was created by artist John Lajba, known for sculpting the road to Omaha statue in front of TD Ameritrade Park and the bronze statues inside the Durham museum. Creating Omar didn't happen overnight.
"OMAR has been three years in the making," Lajba said.
After all the planning and organizing, Omar now lives right under the bridge where visitors are free to take pictures and hang out with the friendly troll.
OMAR is also interactive. With QR codes all over the bridge, visitors can use their cell phones to scan the codes and watch special videos. These videos bring Omar to life.
Omar is now on display with the hopes that it will become a must-see attraction when people visit the city.
"I think it's awesome to draw people to Omaha and to the bridge. I think it's neat," bridge visitor Mary Nieman said.
You can read about Omar's adventures in a new book called "OMAR finds a home". The book is currently being sold at the Omaha Visitors Center, at the Joslyn Art Museum, the Durham Museum and the Omaha Children's Museum gift shops.
